Sweet yet Sour
by Edible
Summary: Sequel to When Life Gives You Lemons. The band and their pals go on a trip to Utah during winter break, but it turns out,spending 10 days living under the same roof with your besties may be too much to handle. Please R&R
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Beaver Mountain

Brandon Holmes held his breath. His hands, which were clutched onto the sides of the passenger seat on which he was sitting, had raised to either sides of his head and pulled his dark grey beanie over his red ears, now completely covering every strand of his dark golden-blonde hair . His almost-turquoise eyes had shot a worried look to his left, directly in the direction of his girlfriend, Stella 'Stell' Yamada, also known as The Revolutionist in the group. The small, half-Japanese girl was behind the wheel of her Asian father's 2010 9-seater Mercedes Benz Vito. How her passengers will survive their trip to Utah with her impatient driving is unknown.

It was winter break, and what could be more epic than a 10-day trip to Beaver Mountain during the snowy season? A week and a half of endless fun, not worrying about school or their careers.

A driver in an old BMW had honked the car horn as he drove past, causing Charles 'Charlie' Delgado to wake up with a jump. His head had hit the window hard and he massaged the aching spot with his icy fingers. He ran his fingers through his long brown hair. The Mexican boy glanced at the seat to his right, to the young man in the seat behind Brandon, Wendell 'Wen' Gifford.

The tall, strawberry-blonde's attention was focused only on his laptop. He had been looking at pictures if the lodge at which the group was going to stay, but now he was struggling to get signal, Frustrated, from both the freezing cold weather and the Wi-Fi being down, he slammed the computer closed and began to stare through the window. Wen wiped some of the mist off, in order to get a better view of the world that was passing by, resulting in the palm of the glove of his left hand getting damp.

Wen had heard what sounded like a purr coming from the seat behind him, causing both him and Charlie to giggle a little and exchange glances. Wen turned around in his seat and poked the short ash-blonde boy who was sitting behind him, fast asleep. Wen poked harder, and the boy hadn't moved a centimetre, so Wen hit him on the head, hard but playfully.

Raymond 'Ray' Beech, the group's former-rival-now-turned-friend, jolted awake. He made a moaning noise and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Wen shook his head no, and Brandon had turned around and raised his index finger to his lips, gesturing for them to be quiet. He then "flicked" his head in Charlie's direction, to show Wen and Ray that the boy had already fallen asleep again.

Behind Charlie, was Scott Pickett, who was also sound asleep, his dark brown bangs all over his face, possibly shielding his eyes from the cold.

Behind Ray and Scott, were three seats.

On the one behind Scott, sat his girlfriend Rebecca 'Becca' Beech, Ray's sister. The girl was the second-youngest person in the van, being a few months older than Charlie. Her deep blue eyes were feasted on the road, watching the cars and various kinds of vehicles speed past out the window. All that the others would be able to see of her was only her dirty-blonde, pin-straight, shoulder-length hair.

Behind Ray, sat yet another blonde girl. 16-year-old, bisexual Olivia 'Liv' White couldn't take her eyes off of the paperback novel that was held almost possessively in both her hands, which were red from the cold, not at all affected by Stella's driving in the least. They tall, shy girl couldn't have afforded enough money to pay for half of the required price to stay in a cabin at this lodge, but being the lead singer of up-and-coming band Lemonade Mouth definitely has it's perks.

In between Olivia and Becca, sat the last passenger of Stella's hell-ride and Olivia's girlfriend, Mohini 'Mo' Banjaree. The Indian girl, unlike her Olivia, was traumatised by their friend's horrific driving skills. The overachiever, along with Charlie, who had woken up again, Wen, Brandon and Becca, were praying that they would make it to Beaver Mountain alive. Mo had rested her head on Olivia's shoulder, being in the most perfectly comfortable position since her girlfriend was the right amount of inches taller than her. Olivia hadn't noticed this, or anything else for that matter, being the bookworm that she is.

* * *

><p>Charlie had raised his head and sat up in his seat when he saw a sign that read <em>Welcome to Beaver Mountain<em>. Stella, who had obviously noticed it too, had shouted, "We're here!"

Scott opened his eyes and sat up, fixing his hair. Ray mumbled something that sounded like, "Drama queen," to Wen and Charlie, who chuckled.

Olivia still hadn't moved from her perfect reading position, while Brandon quietly said, "Finally," in his British accent that the fans loved so much, or more importantly to him, that Stella loved so much.

Lemonade Mouth wasn't an internationally recognised band, and they weren't even that big in the United States, but they had more fans than what they expected and a fair share of dough rolling in every time they recorded a song, made an appearance, or gave a performance.

But Lemonade Mouth wasn't about the fame or the money, it was about the music. More importantly, it was about being heard; their love for music, their struggles, and the emotions they feel show in their lyrics.

The only teenagers in the van that weren't in the band were the siblings, Ray and Becca. Becca wasn't all that into music, although she can play the clarinet, but Ray was the lead singer of their school Mesa High's second most popular band, Mudslide Crush. Scott was a guitarist of that band, but after an act of kindness in order to help out their rival band, and also a shot at winning Mo back, Scott eventually became part of Lemonade Mouth.

Ray was Lemonade Mouth's biggest enemy, but every since Scott and Becca had started dating, the band, had realised what led him to grow into the big bully that he is. Or was, almost.

* * *

><p>The car had come to a stop, with a big jolt and a bit of a bang. Everyone except Stella and Olivia had been shaken by this.<p>

The car was parked in front of a cabin, if you could call it that. It was more like a double-story house, big and spacious.

"Park the car in the garage," Stella ordered Brandon, handing him the car keys once the group had gotten out of the van.

Charlie looked at Wen, astonished, and said, "There's a garage! In a so-called cabin!"

Each one of them had taken their own luggage out of the trunk, the boys helping the girls with their's, and stepped into the front room.

The living room was wonderful, and the teens had especially loved the fireplace and the 32-inch Plasma television. Every room had a heater, even the bathrooms.

Downstairs was the living room, kitchen and a bathroom.

Upstairs, were 4 bedrooms and two bathrooms.

After looking around, the gang had assembled in the living room after Brandon had parked the van, while Ray and Scott were tending to the fireplace.

"Okay!" Stella shouted, clapping her hands to get her friends' attention.

She stood on the wooden coffee table, and the others looked at her waiting for the brunette to continue.

After Scott and Ray had started the fire, Ray said, "Get off the table, Yamada. It's not like your dad owns the place."

He made a gesture with his hands to emphasise the command.

Stella and Ray were the biggest rivals one could ever encounter, constantly making a scene whenever they argued, neither of them ever hesitant ti point out each other's flaws and mistakes. However, they had become closer over the past few months, and although neither of them were comfortable with the idea of them being thought of as friends, they were forced to accept their weird relationship, and both insisted that they only got along on occasion.

Stella rolled her eyes at Ray's order and continued.

"So, I've decided that Mo and Liv would probably want to share a room, so I'll share with Becca, and the four of us will share a bathroom. So girls on the East. There will be no boy and girl sharing! Is that clear?"

The rest of the group mumbled words that sounded like, "Yeah," or "Whatever."

Wen, being the pushover that he is, saluted Stella and obediently said, "Yes ma'am."

"Boys, same on the West," Stella went on, sounding much like a dictator, "Brandon, Wen and Charlie can share, and Scott and Ray. For the bathrooms, there is a strict 'first come, first serve' policy, but if you are sick or there is an emergency, use the one downstairs!"

The friends, without questioning Stella's order, had gathered their luggage and had settled in their assigned bedrooms. Each took turns in the bathroom, and one by one they walked down the stairs in the sleepwear and sat down near the fireplace.

Ray had moved the sofas so that the gang could sit around in a circle, but nobody knew why, except Stella, shockingly, and Ray, of course.

The group of teens saw Stella walking towards them with cups and a bottle of alcohol.

"No, way!" Olivia shouted, being the most timid of the lot.

"Come on," Stella begged, "We're gonna play I Never."

"But my way," Ray interrupted.

"Oh, boy," Mo grumbled, but Scott and Stella smirked at the idea. Everyone else exchanged confused and worried glances.

"What, exactly, is your way?" Becca asked, which was a weird question considering they live with each other.

"Well, if you have done the thing you drink a full cup of liquor, right?" Ray asked, and the others nodded, "But if you're the only one who hasn't done it, you must be dared by the most experienced person in that field of whatever it is you have never done."

It took about 10 seconds for Ray's class to finally understand what he meant, but then Scott, Brandon, Charlie, Becca, Mo and Wen had given in to the idea, in that specific order. It was clear that Stella was already down for the game.

All eyes were now on Olivia.

"Oh, alright," she agreed, mainly because she didn't want her friends to think of her as boring.

Stella had organised the group in alphabetical order, so Brandon was to go first.

"Mmmm," he thought, "I've never had sex."

He looked around shocked to see that everyone was downing their drinks, Olivia struggling with hers, and Mo and Wen also seemed a bit overwhelmed with their drinks. Then he realised that Charlie hadn't touched his drink either.

"Olivia?" was all Charlie could get out of his mouth, beyond shocked to see the introverted girl's secret/

Ray swallowed the last sip of his drink and said to the two inexperienced boys, "So explain…."

"You too, Liv" Stella added, causing Olivia to blush.

Charlie remained silent, but all Brandon said was, "At least I'm not the only one."

Next up was Charlie.

"Okay," he said, and then his face was consumed by a mask of embarrassment, "I've never gone skiing."

The others laughed, and Stella shouted, "What?"

And then they all drank their alcohol until the last drop was consumed.

"Okay," Ray said, "So, who's the most experienced skier in the room?"

Mo and Becca shrugged, and Scott and Wen nominated Stella, while Brandon and Olivia were still trying hard to finish up their drinks.

"So, Charlie," Stella started, her voice filled with malice, "Here's your dare….."

* * *

><p><strong>So, this is it. My sequel. Is it good? Or should I stop? Please Review. <strong>


	2. Chapter 2: If Brandon Doesn't Mind

"I dare you to go next door, knock, and make out with the first person who answers for 30 seconds, no stopping."

Ray cheered and high-fived Stella.

"Ew!" Charlie moaned, "What if it's a dude?"

"It's a dare," Wen said, "You gotta do it."

Charlie narrowed his eyes at the redhead and said, "But-"

He was interrupted by Ray imitating a chicken. They all had to admit he was a pretty good chicken impersonator.

"Fine," Charlie gave in, "I'll do it."

The group got up and put on their jackets, boots, scarves and gloves and left the cabin.

* * *

><p>Their boots crunched in the snow as they took their short walk to the cabin next to theirs. They had chosen the cabin on the right of their own, as the lights were on and they could hear that people were still awake and are in the cabin.<p>

Charlie was about to knock, but noticed a door bell and rang it instead.

As they waited for someone to come, Charlie turned around and whispered, "Do I have to?"

"Yah," Stella answered, right before Olivia added, "Good luck, Charlie."

Charlie groaned as the group of 9 heard somebody turning the doorknob. The other 8 giggled excitedly.

The door opened to reveal a short teenage boy, of about 15 or 16, with brown-black hair, pale skin and blue-grey eyes.

"Can I help you?" the boy asked Charlie, and then realised there was another 8 people standing behind the drummer.

"Hi," Charlie said, smiling nervously, "I'm Charlie. We're staying next door."

"Hey," the boy replied, realising something, "Aren't you guys the band, Lemonade Mouth?"

"Yes," Stella shouted, walking up to the doorstep, planting herself beside Charlie, "We are. You like us?"

"You're okay," the boy answered, causing Stella's smile to fade, "I like your vibe, but I'm more into hip-hop."

Scott tried hard to refrain himself from laughing. This boy looked like a math nerd, not a fly hip-hop dude.

"So, you wanna come inside?" the boy asked, politely, but still seemed a little uncomfortable with his idea.

"No," Stella answered, as she shook her head.

"Then, why are you guys here?" he asked, his face drowned in confusion.

Charlie looked at Stella, still anxious, and Stella nodded.

Charlie grabbed the boy's head and crashed their lips together, as Stella started counting backwards from 30 in her head.

With 25 seconds more to go, a girl stepped outside and said, "Jay, what's taking so lo-"

She noticed the two boys were making out, and gasped, "Whoa!"

Before the time was up, the boy had managed to pull himself free, and punched Charlie in the face, causing his nose to start bleeding.

Charlie let out a cry of pain, causing the boy's, whose name was revealed to be Jay, words to get lost.

"Sicko," he mumbled.

Then the girl, who seemed to be about a year or two younger than Jay, gasped and her eyes widened as she called out, "Charlie?"

Charlie looked at her, and recognised her instantly. Black hair, tanned skin, brown eyes. The girl's name was Mia Avakian.

She looked a little different from the last time the band had seen her, a few months ago. Most probably because her hair had been tied into a neat ponytail, and was now sporting bangs.

"Hey," Mo greeted, recognising her too.

"I thought you moved to San Diego," Charlie stated, sounding like he had a cold due to his injured nose.

"Santa Barbara," the small girl corrected.

"Hey!" Ray shouted, "I've tripped you once or twice!"

Mia nodded, and then rolled her eyes.

"Who are you?" Brandon asked, being one of the only four who hadn't officially met her, which included Scott, Ray and Becca.

"Mia," she introduced herself, "And this is Jayden Knight."

Jayden, or as Mia had called him, Jay raised his hand and waved.

"Almost killed me, Jayden," Charlie grumbled.

Jayden rolled his eyes and corrected Charlie, saying, "I punched you in the nose! You might wanna find another way to come out."

Charlie scowled and shouted, "It was a dare! I'm sorry I had to do that!"

"Well, we forgive you," Mia apologised for her friend, quickly; to prevent the two boys began scratching each other's eyes out.

"We should go," Stella said, obviously doing the same thing, and after two had said their goodbyes, the gang had returned to a cabin of their own.

* * *

><p>"Well, that was embarrassing," Charlie moaned, as they settled in alphabetical order around the coffee table.<p>

Mo was up next.

"I've never failed a test," she said, smiling proudly.

Stella, Ray, Scott, Becca and Charlie had started on their drinks. Mo's smiled had widened when she noticed that she wasn't the only one, as Olivia, Brandon and Wen hadn't touched theirs either.

After the 5 had finished, Olivia stated, "I've never drank alcohol until today."

The results were the same as what Mo had gotten, except this time Charlie wasn't drinking.

"Okay, my turn!" Ray shouted, his voice filled with excitement, "I've never had sex with a dude."

He smirked as he watched only Stella and Becca begin drinking. When they were done, everyone's eyes were on Olivia and Mo. The lesbian couple both blushed and exchanged glances, both remaining silent.

Scott made his voice high, and sang, "Awkward…"

The others laughed.

Becca was up after her brother.

She sighed and thought for a while.

"I've never tasted caviar," she admitted.

This time nobody took even a small sip of their alcohol.

"Okay, then," Scott said, since it was his turn next, "I've never ….."

Scott thought for a while, and then looked at Charlie and smirked.

"I've never made out with a guy," he finished.

Charlie groaned, and he and the girls began to down their next cup.

It was Stella's turn next, and after thinking about what she was going to say she giggled.

"This is going to be a shocker," she warned.

The others' eyes widened and they listened carefully.

"I've never….." Stella started, and took a deep breath before finishing the sentence, "….died."

The others rolled their eyes as Stella began to laugh.

"Ha-ha, funny," Olivia mumbled, but then she and the others began to join in with Stella's laughter.

When the laughter had died out, the group shifted their attention onto Wen.

He moved his head uneasily, and eventually said, "I've never seen High School Musical."

"What?" Mo exclaimed, "I mean, it sucks, but how could you not have watched it?"

"I just didn't," Wen answered, unaware of the consequences of him being the only one who hadn't watched the movie.

After finishing off their drinks, the teens had tried to decide who had most enjoyed the movie.

None of them did, especially Mo and Stella, but Ray decided that he should be the one to dare Wen.

"Kiss Stella," Ray suggested, "With tongue. But, if Brandon doesn't mind."

Stella's eyes widened and she gulped, feeling nervous and shifting her gaze from Ray to Wen, and then to Brandon.

Brandon, not wanting to seem like a bore or the overprotective boyfriend, and seeing as though everyone had had a couple of drinks, had hesitated, but eventually said, "Okay."

Stella gave him a stern look and mumbled, "Whatever," obviously wanting her friends to think she doesn't care. But, she did.

Stella and Wen leaned into each other, and like a group of 12-year-olds, their friends started chanting, "Kiss, kiss, kiss…"

The two leaned closer and closer until their lips met.

Their tongues danced with each others' and moved in and out of their mouths, slowly becoming more and more rough and intimate.

The others watched as Stella and Wen started holding each other, and kept kissing, without thought or care.

Ray had glanced at Brandon, apologetically, and Brandon felt awkward and was shuffling in his spot, uneasily.

Ray shouted, "Okay, enough!"

The two broke apart and returned to their original positions, their faces now literally beet red in colour.

There was about 2 minutes of awkward silence.

Ray spoke up, "We all had a turn and we're running outta liquor. How 'bout we play Naked Twister?"

Stella gagged, and everyone moaned.

"I'm tired," Mo complained, "And we've been driving around all day. I wanna go to bed."

"Yeah," Olivia agreed, "And no more drinks for me. I feel light-headed."

Brandon and Charlie both nodded, and Stella, Scott and Becca started tidying things up.

"Fine," Ray mumbled, "Whatever."

They cleaned up their mess and moved the sofas back to their original places. It was eleven forty-five.

* * *

><p>They all went off to bed, feeling a little uncomfortable since it wasn't their bedrooms at home. Olivia was feeling home sick, and kept shuffling around in her bed. She couldn't sleep and was missing her grandmother, with whom she lived.<p>

* * *

><p>Around one o'clock, Wen had woken up, and headed down to the kitchen for a glass of strawberry juice. He noticed a dark figure in the living room, and tried to remain silent, but the person had probably heard him as he or she stood up and walked into the light.<p>

It was Stella.

"God," Wen sighed, relief filling every inch of his body, "You scared me. What are you doing up?"

"I was just…." Stella started, seeming uneasy and nervous, "…..thinking. I need to tell you something."

"I'm tired," Wen said, yawning, "How about tomorrow?"

"No!" Stella shouted, and then started whispering, "You can't tell them. Especially Brandon."

"Why not?" Wen asked, slightly more awake, "He's your boyfriend."

"Please, Wen," Stella begged.

Stella was never one to beg, so Wen knew this had to be serious.

He nodded at the girl.

Stella took a deep breath.

"I think I might be pregnant."

"What?" Wen exclaimed, almost dropping the glass of juice onto the floor, "Why are you telling _me_ this, anyway? Does Brandon know?"

"Hello? Brandon's still a virgin, remember?" Stella asked, "That dance in September, in the back of your car…."

"Oh….." Wen realised, lowering his voice to ask, "Are you sure?"

"No, but…." Stella started, "What about Brandon? And school? And the band?"

"Don't worry, we'll find out tomorrow," Wen assured her, pulling her into a hug, "We just have to figure out a way to do it without the others finding out."

Wen was surprised at how strong Stella was being. The girl hadn't shed a tear, but seemed a little angry.

The two broke apart.

"I really like Brandon," Stella told Wen, "I can't believe this is happening."

"You don't know that for sure," Wen said, trying to cheer her up.

"You're right," Stella agreed, "Let's just go back to bed and we'll figure this all out tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Olivia had sprinted up the stairs as fast and quietly as she could and practically jumped onto her bed the second she got into hers and Mo's room.<p>

She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, trying to shake those words from her mind.

The words from the conversation between Wen and Stella.


	3. Chapter 3: She's a Murderer

The sun shone through the windows directly onto Becca's face. The bright light caused the girl's eyes to slowly open. She looked through the window; the curtains had already been opened. Her lips curved into a smile, as she watched the sun shine onto the snow, causing it to glisten in a weird way.

She looked one of the two beds in the room. The bed was empty, but the covers and blankets were all over the place, even some scattered on the floor. So, Stella was obviously already awake. The other bed hadn't been touched, because it was only the two of them who were staying in that room.

Becca sat up, yawning and stretching. She had still felt rather groggy from the night before, and the first thing she had wanted to do was take a shower to help her feel more alive, but she could hear that somebody was already in the shower, so she headed downstairs.

Olivia and Brandon were already downstairs when she got there, having a conversation in the kitchen. Brandon was making coffee, while Olivia had her face buried in her novel and her hand cupped around a glass of milk.

"Hey," Olivia greeted Becca, as she walked half-asleep into the kitchen.

"Morning," Becca replied, as Brandon raised his hand to give a small wave, "You guys are up early."

"I just got here," Olivia told her friends, her voice sounding slightly croaky.

"Stella woke me up," Brandon said, his accent still somehow sounding cute even when his voice is raspy, "Said she was feeling sick."

Olivia looked up, and closed the book, placing it on the countertop.

"She did?" she asked Brandon, all of the previous night's memories flooding back to her, "Did she say why?"

"No," Brandon answered, and then he shrugged before shifting his attention back onto the coffee he had been making.

"Want?" Brandon offered Becca a mug of coffee, but she declined by shaking her head and then heading back upstairs.

Olivia and Brandon sat in silence for a few minutes, and then Mo had walked into the kitchen with wet hair. She was the only one who wasn't in her pyjamas.

She took to a high chair beside Olivia, and her girlfriend pecked her on the lips and returned to reading her novel.

Brandon had stood there in awkward silence, drinking his coffee, trying hard not to stare at the couple, but in his opinion it was slightly revolting.

Stella walked into the kitchen looking terrible. She was in the bathroom downstairs, throwing up. Morning sickness?

"Hi guys," she greeted, "I gotta go take a shower."

"Becca's in there," Mo told her.

"Great," Stella mumbled, "I'll just bring my stuff downstairs and get done in this bathroom. And you guys probably don't wanna go in there."

She took a sip of Brandon's coffee and headed upstairs.

"Now I can't drink this," Brandon moaned, raising his mug and then pouring his coffee down the sink.

Wen came downstairs, followed by Scott.

The first thing Wen could ask was, "Where's Stella?"

"She's upstairs," Brandon answered, "She's sick. Probably all the alcohol."

Brandon seemed to have forgotten about all of the awkward energy after Wen and Stella's kiss last night during their game.

Scott yawned, and when Charlie arrive in the living room already done using the bathroom, he ran upstairs, bumping into Stella who ran down and quickly into the downstairs bathroom before anyone could say anything.

The first thing Charlie did when he got downstairs was plant himself on the sofa in the living room, and switch on the television to check what the weather would be like for the day. Everyone had remained silent and just listened to the TV.

After Scott had his turn in the bathroom, Brandon headed upstairs. The same happened with Becca and Olivia. By 9 am Stella was finished in the down stairs bathroom, and Brandon and Mo were in the kitchen making pancakes for breakfast.

Ray had come down while the two were busy, already dressed for snowboarding. He never wanted anyone to see him the second he wakes up.

At 09:30, everyone was ready go check out The Campfire, which was the lodge's hall. It had a fireplace and was technically almost a restaurant. The gang had debated over breakfast reasons why it had been maned The Campfire, since this was a lodge not a camp. They had concluded that it was because all the people staying here gathered there, especially for all the heaters and, from what they had heard, a huge fireplace.

By 10 am, they decided to head down there to check it out, but Stella insisted on staying at the cabin because she was "a little sick." Brandon offered to stay with her, but she begged him to go with, asking for him to get her a cheese burger. He gave in, and Wen said he'd like to catch up on a few winks because he didn't get enough sleep the previous night. Olivia, wanting to reveal to Stella and Wen what she knew, said she'll stay with them so she could finish her book and enjoy the rest of their stay there.

* * *

><p>Wen and Olivia were alone in the living room, while Stella was in the "Puke-room", as they had named it.<p>

"I heard the conversation you and Stella had last night," Olivia said, not moving her eyes from the last few pages of the novel she'd been reading.

Wen looked at her, his face beginning to redden.

"Oh….." was all he could say.

Olivia would have confronted him about how they had been dating at the time, but she knew she wasn't any better.

"Sorry…." Wen muttered, under his breath almost.

"It's fine," Olivia replied, awkwardly.

"Please don't tell anyone," Wen begged, "Stella will kill me if she knew you, or anyone, found out. Especially Brandon."

"I won't," Olivia said, surprising Wen a little.

"Thanks," Wen whispered.

"I would have probably felt the same way if I were in Stella's position, so…." Olivia's voice trailed off, and she returned to focussing all of her attention on the book when Stella walked in.

* * *

><p>After arriving at The Campfire, Mo took charge as she, Brandon, Ray and Becca took their place in a long line so they could order lunch in advance. Mo's idea, of course.<p>

Scott and Charlie had rushed toward the fireplace to get a seat before they were all taken. Charlie noticed Mia with her friend Jay, and ran up to them to take the chair by theirs. Scott quickly caught up, remembering that Charlie had almost dated this girl.

"Hey," Charlie said, smiling and waving.

"Hi," Mia greeted back, and then gestured toward a seat next to hers and Jay's.

Scott greeted and sat down next to Charlie.

"Sorry," Jay grumbled, seeing Charlie's slightly messed up nose.

In Charlie's opinion, Jayden is really tough for such a skinny little boy.

"Me too," Charlie replied, awkwardly, "So, why are you guys in Utah?"

"We're here with our crew," Mia answered.

After seeing Charlie and Scott's confused facial expressions, she added, "Dance crew. We won a competition and didn't know what else to do with the money.

"Like us and the band," Scott said, before adding, "Sorta."

After the four had said nothing for about 10 seconds, Jay turned to Mia and asked, "Should I tell them?"

Charlie and Scott exchanged glances.

Mia hesitated before saying, "If you want to….."

"Tell us," Scott said, leaning forward.

"Okay, there's this girl in our crew," Jay said, "And apparently she's like psycho. Like, literally mental. Psychologically handicapped, I mean. And-"

"They're just rumours," Mia interrupted.

"They're not!" Jay argued, "And you don't even like her anyway!"

"I barely know her," Mia defended.

"Back to the girl," Scott insisted.

"Okay, her name's Amanda," Jay continued, "Apparently she's a murderer."

Charlie's eyes widened and Scott smirked, both interested in the story.

"She's apparently killed all her roommates and people she didn't like," Jay said, "They were all seen last with her and after that, disappeared. They're still missing, to this very day."

"Why isn't she in hospital or prison or something?" Charlie asked.

"Nobody ever found proof against her," Jay continued, "But she keeps this book with a list of people's names. Names of kids who disappeared, and once gone she ticks them off. It's in the same order and everything."

Jay was obviously not good at telling stories. He kept rushing, seeming anxious, and kept glancing around to see if anyone had been watching or eavesdropping. Scott and Charlie, particularly Charlie, found it hard to follow.

"What does this have to do with us?" Scott asked, trying hard to picture this Amanda.

"I'm getting there," Jay said, sighing impatiently, "Last night, she watched your guys' visit through the window, and apparently she knows, and really hates, someone in your group. She even said so herself. She just didn't give a name or the sex."

"Don't believe him," Mia said, "And she won't kill anyone. There's no proof, remember?"

"There is," Jay said, putting his hand into his pocket.

This time Mia gasped, obviously not having seen the proof yet.

"The book thing was my own discovery, and so was this, so watch out," Jay warned.

There was a small piece of crumbled up paper in his hand and he started to straighten it out.

"I found her book lying on the kitchen floor," Jay said, sounding nervous, "I tore this name out, and she wrote it in last night. Look familiar?"

Scott, Charlie and Mia leaned in to read the name on the piece of paper.

The name of the person who would be killed next.

They looked at the paper.

It read _Mohini Banjaree_.

* * *

><p><strong>Shortest chapter so far. Hope you liked it, and PLEASE review. Mwah!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Wish it Were that Easy

Why Mo?

Scott and Charlie were both once in "weird" relationships with Mo.

Charlie had a crush on her, and Scott was her on and off boyfriend.

"She kills for revenge," Jay said, breaking the silence, "But most of the names in her book were probably witnesses or knew what she was up to, in my opinion."

"But, how would she know Mo?" Charlie asked.

Jay thought for a while, and then asked, "Where was this Mo from?"

"Orlando," Scott answered, "She moved to Mesa when she was 13."

"I don't know much about where Amanda comes from. In fact, I don't even know her last name," Jay informed, "But I noticed she's good with woodwork, and she's kinda interested in insects, so I think she kills people using scaphism."

"What's scaphism?" Charlie asked.

"When the murderer usually strips the victim, and somehow pins them into something, usually a hollowed out tree trunk. He, or she, feeds the victim honey with milk, causing the victim to have diarrhoea, and then smothers honey all over the victim."

Charlie and Scott exchanged looks of disgust as Jay explained the peculiar form of murder to them.

"The honey and faeces attract insects, so they start to feed on the victim's flesh. The person can survive days, or even weeks, of excruciating pain before he or she dies. Eventually, all that's left are the victim's decaying bones, so the body ends up being left unidentified."

"We don't know if it's true," Mia interrupted, "Just rumours, as far as I'm concerned."

Jay ignored her and continued, "She looks lifeless. Straight, long, greasy, black hair and pale, like sickly pale, skin. She's very antisocial, but she's mean and cold, and she doesn't have feelings. And she's temperamental and throws huge tantrums. It's pretty freaky, to be alone with her, I mean."

"Everybody has feelings," Mia argued, "I will ask her myself, and I will prove that these rumours aren't true."

"Don't!" Jay begged, "If she finds out what we know, she'll kill us too. She's already freaked out after seeing the torn page in her book."

"Yeah," Scott agreed, "It could be rumours, but it's still possible."

Mia rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fine, whatever."

"Apparently she was molested as a child by both her parents and was sent to and orphanage," Jay brought up, "Did you know most sexual predators were sexually abused growing up? I think Amanda uses scaphism because you get to see the victim naked, and it's hard to identify them afterwards. My dad's a CSI."

"Your dad's an actor?" Charlie asked, causing Jay to almost chuckle, but didn't want them to think he's making jokes at a time like this.

"No, a crime scene investigator," Jay corrected, "I've learnt a lot from him. Criminals are affected by their genetics and their surroundings, their minds work differently to ours. I've heard that Amanda's mom was a prostitute and her father was a rapist, and by day a writer. She's an orphan now, and she kept moving to orphanages all over the country because of all the accidents that's happened around her."

"So, what if this is all true?" Scott imagined, saying his thoughts out loud, "How do we stop her, doctor?"

Jay looked flattered by being called a "doctor", and answered, "We need proof. We need to catch her red-handed, so we need to know the plan. We need to find out the "why" first, we know who, I'm not so sure how, and I have no clue when, but obviously during winter break. We all know where, though….."

Here. At the lodge, at Beaver Mountain in Utah.

Nobody needed to say anything.

"What makes you think that she's psychologically unstable?" Scott asked, starting to sound more and more like an interviewer on a talk show.

"Antisocial behaviour, shows strong hatred, cunning, temperamental, cold, secretive, she can remember things perfectly, in such great detail, which show's her mind goes beyond that of an average human, but shows signs of memory loss, eccentric behaviour, speech problems, mood swings, attempted suicide, _never_ smiles, no impulse control, extreme paranoia, doesn't eat in front of others…."

His voice trailed off, and then he added, "I'm guessing bipolar, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, somewhere along those lines."

"Wow," Mia muttered, under her breath.

"How do you know so much about her?" Charlie asked.

"I've known her for five years, and these rumours have been going on since way before that," Jay answered, "Even at her old schools. It's why she doesn't have friends or a roommate. Nobody talks to her because we heard that once, in kindergarten, a boy had taken her lollipop, so she started screaming and crying and pulling her hair out. That recess, the teacher found the boy dead on the playground."

"Wow," Mia whispered again.

"Just for stealing a lollipop?" Charlie complained, now never wanting to meet the girl.

Jay nodded and shrugged, and then said, "We need to help your friend. I mean, this is the first time we actually now who she's going after. We can stop her."

"You said so yourself, that it's too dangerous," Mia said.

"Thought you didn't believe the rumours," Jay mumbled.

"I…don't," Mia denied, dragging out the "I", and lowering her voice to say "don't".

"How about I sneak into her room, and go through all her stuff?" Jay asked, obviously wanting to help, "I know she keeps this small brown sack-like thing and once when someone touched by accident, she started screaming and pulled a bunch of that guy's hair out. And I know how to pick a lock and crack codes. And hotwire a car."

For the son of a CSI, he knew a lot about criminology. But then again, he spent a lot of time around crime scenes, growing up.

Scott and Charlie looked at him like he was crazy.

Mia calmly said, "You're not allowed on the girl's side. I'll do it."

Jay looked disappointed and muttered, "Oh, yeah. Bridget says we can't mingle. She's our dance instructor and the adult responsible for us while we're on this trip."

Scott nodded and Charlie was shocked after Mia had offered to go through Amanda's stuff, and was starting to worry.

"But what if she catches us?" Charlie asked, "She'll feed us to her bug friends."

He shuddered at the thought.

"If she feeds anyone it can be me," Jay said, "As long as my hypothesis is proved correct. But, she won't catch me. It's you three that I'm worried about. I've gotten used to being in the presence of criminals and mental people."

Charlie looked at Mia and said, "You're the same as before. Don't get killed now."

Mia wrinkled her nose and said, "What?"

Charlie just shook his head and shrugged.

"You can't pick a lock," Jay told Mia.

"I can try," Mia said, "I once lost the key to my bedroom and used a knife to unlock the door. It actually works."

"Where are you gonna find such a tiny knife from?" Jay asked, still eager to go get his evidence himself.

"I don't _need_ a knife," Mia mumble, her sweet voice getting higher, "I have this."

She raised her hand to her head and pulled a hair pin out of her hair.

"Good job, Avakian," Jay said, sounding impressed, "I've seen crimes where people have picked locks and started vehicles using those hair thingys."

"I will prove to you guys that these rumours are false," Mia stated.

"Then how would you explain the paper with Mo's name on it?" Scott asked.

Mia opened her mouth to argue back, but Jay interrupted by asking, "What about all those names from the kids who have disappeared?"

This time, the "non-believer" remained silent and just sighed impatiently.

After a long pause after that sigh, she said, "Don't tell your friend, Mo, though. I mean, it's just a piece of paper. That could mean anything."

Charlie saw Mo walk towards them and warned, "Mo's coming. What should we talk about?"

"Rabbits," Jay said, that being the first random word that popped into his head.

"Okay…." Scott mumbled.

Mo walked up to them and greeted, "Hey."

She sat down beside Charlie.

"So," Scott said, "Did you know that rabbits can apparently have babies on their own?"

Jay nodded and muttered, "Mm-hm."

"Why are you guys talking about rabbits?" Mo asked, confused by the weird topic of the conversation.

"Because….." Charlie started, trying to think up an excuse.

"I'm getting a rabbit for my birthday," Mia lied.

Mo had believed her, shockingly, because the lie was unconvincing.

Charlie smiled at Mia, happy that at least there is one person on the planet that he's a better liar than.

"So, I know a girl who you might've known a while back," Jay told Mo, causing the other three to exchange glances and look at him surprised, "Her name's Amanda. An orphan, always moving schools….."

Mo looked up to her left, and asked, "Amanda Vazov?"

"That's the one," Jay said and smiled, "So, were you guys friends or something?"

Mo shook her head no, "I met her when I lived in Orlando, first day of fifth grade. She was a year younger and went to school a year early, or something, and she was new. You see, after meeting my dad, all my friends abandoned me, so I thought that I should befriend the new girl. So I tried to talk to her, but she never said anything, so I put my hand on her shoulder and the second I touched her she started to kick and scream and cry. And then she pulled some of my hair out, so I got mad and yelled, 'You're so abnormal, Amanda!", and then all the other kids started to chant, 'Abnormal Amanda." I didn't mean for the name to stick. So she had a fit, after all that humiliation, and was rushed to the school's infirmary, and she had to move again. I never forgot her."

"Hmmm," Jay mumbled, "Bet you never will."

"Yeah," Mo agreed, "How do you know her, anyway?"

"She's in my crew and we go to school together," Jay answered, "We're also neighbours."

"Cool," Mo muttered, looking a little bored.

"So, where are the others?" Charlie asked.

"Still waiting there to collect the food," she rolled her eyes.

"Great. It's almost lunch," Scott complained, "I'm starving!"

Charlie nodded and mumbled, "I lost my appetite."

"So, we've decided to collect our food and have our lunch at the cabin," Mo explained, "And then we can go sledging."

"Hello."

The 5 teens looked up to see Brandon. Not that Mo, Charlie and Scott had to, since the boy had a thick British accent.

"We're going to leave in a few minutes," he informed, "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Jay, obviously being quite the conversationalist, smiled and answered, "Rabbits."

Stella looked down at the bar that she held in her hands.

* * *

><p>Positive. Fantastic.<p>

Olivia knocked on the bathroom door, and asked, "Stella, you alright? The others are gonna be here in a few minutes and-"

"I know you know," Stella interrupted, "I heard you and Wen talking."

"Stella, I'm sorry," Olivia said, not sure what she was apologising for.

Stella breathed heavily and replied, "Me too."

Olivia opened the door and stepped inside.

"It's positive," Stella told the taller girl.

"Oh, Stella," Olivia pulled Stella into a hug, "It'll be fine."

Stella closed her eyes and mumbled, "I wish it were that easy, that everything would just be fine."

* * *

><p>After sledging, the group of nine had visited the lodge's library, because Olivia insisted as she had finished her book earlier that day.<p>

The library was slightly smaller than that of a real library.

They all split up and looked around, everyone but Olivia wanting to go back to the cabin for dinner and sleep.

Charlie and Scott had headed straight to the sections on psychology and murder.

Brandon had found himself an old music magazine and sat down to start flipping through it.

Becca had approached him with a thick, dusty, big hardcover book, and asked, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"I haven't given it any thought actually," Brandon whispered, not wanting to disturb the other people in the library, "Why do you ask?"

"I was just checking out this book," Becca answered, "It's about Beaver Mountain long before the lodge was built. It says there was this girl, and she had fallen in love with a boy, but he had been fooling her and was going to marry someone else. So she found out, but the guy didn't want his fiancé to find out as well, so he killed her. Now apparently her ghost is still here on Beaver Mountain waiting for the guy to return, so she can get revenge."

Brandon rolled his eyes, but Becca sighed and said, "I'm totally taking this one out."

"What does this have to do with rebirth, anyway?" Brandon asked.

Becca opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it and smirked.

"See for yourself," she whispered, handing the heavy book to Brandon.

Brandon took the book, which had already been opened.

Becca pointed to a black and white photograph of a young man, who Ray said was the boy from the story.

The picture was a little blurry, so Brandon squinted his eyes to get a better look.

Brandon gasped at what he saw.

The man in the photo was the spitting image of himself.


End file.
